LOWELL, Mass. – For the first time in the history of the program, Mount Ida's men's basketball team competed against an opponent from NCAA's Division 1, traveling on Sunday afternoon to battle the Riverhawks of UMass Lowell at Costello Athletic Center on Sunday.
The Mustangs found themselves with a tough test on their hands, and dropped a 73-45 decision to a UMass Lowell team that already has played such competition as the Michigan Wolverines, last season's national runner up.
Junior guard Everett Ramirez (Los Angeles, Calif.) led Mount Ida with 14 points and five rebounds as he converted 4-7 attempts from behind the three-point line.
Senior Kenny Jean (Dorchester, Mass.) added nine points, four rebounds, and two blocks off the bench for Mount Ida, who will play their next game on Tuesday night at Mount Ida Athletic Center.
That night, Mount Ida will welcome in Albertus Magnus for their first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) conference, a 6:00 pm affair.
The River Hawks started the game on an 18-8 run over the Mustangs (1-4, 0-0 GNAC) and never looked back as UMass Lowell made a season-high 13 attempts from 3-point range, including six from distance to start the game.
UMass Lowell shot well from distance in the first half, firing at 55% from 3-point range with 11 of the team's 13 first-half field goals coming from downtown.
Sophomore guard DJ Mlachnik (Muskego, Wis.) led all scorers with 17 points as the sharpshooter netted 5 of 9 three-point attempts. Mlachnik also had three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Senior Akeem Williams (Brockton, Mass.) finished with 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field while connecting on 3-5 from distance.
Sophomore Cam Walker (New Bedford, Mass.) was one of three Mustangs with three assists, along with Nathan Bueno (Methuen, Mass.) and Jahari Wright (Austin, Texas). Bueno had six points on 3-for-4 shooting from the field and Wright added five points and three rebounds.
Coming off a loss to the University of Cincinnati, the River Hawks took better care of the ball and won the points off turnover battle, 15-5.
The Mustangs got 22 points from their bench, while River Hawks subs gave the team 25 points.
Junior guard Chad Holley (New York, N.Y.) played facilitator for the River Hawks offense finishing with six points and seven assists in just 23 minutes of action.
The win marks not only the first for the River Hawks (1-6, 0-0 America East) but also for first-year Head Coach Pat Duquette.
The River Hawks prepare for a busy week as they travel to play St. Bonaventure Tuesday night at 7 P.M.